Chukars fall at Missoula in the series opener

Chukars fall at Missoula in the series opener

Will Vasseur

Idaho Falls, Idaho– The Chukars dropped the series opener to the PaddleHeads 15-1 on Friday night in Missoula.

The game saw Dusty Baird starting the game for the Chukars, countering Connor Schultz who started for the PaddleHeads.

Missoula got the scoring started in the bottom of the first, scoring five runs in the inning. The inning was capped off by a Thomas DeBonville two-RBI single to right field to put his team ahead 5-0.

The PaddleHeads tacked on another run in the bottom of the second to take a 6-0 lead and end Baird’s night.

Following Baird, Victor Rodriguez came into the game and threw 3.0 innings, allowing one run in three innings of relief.

Idaho Falls scored their lone run of the game in the top of the seventh inning when Anthony Frechette drove in his first professional baseball RBI thanks to an RBI double to left field that scored Trevor Halsema. Following the RBI, the Chukars trailed 8-1.

Missoula responded with two runs in the bottom of the seventh, followed by five runs in the bottom of the eighth, propelling the PaddleHeads to a 15-1 victory.

For the Chukars, Baird was handed the loss, going 2.0 innings and allowing six runs on eight hits. For the PaddleHeads, Connor Schultz collected the win, throwing 7.0 innings and allowing one run on three hits.

With the defeat, the Chukars' record has dropped to 11-16.

Idaho Falls will return to action at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday night when they take on the Missoula PaddleHeads in game two of their three-game series. The Chukars will home to Melaleuca Field on Friday, July 2, when they will face off with the Ogden Raptors.